Duquesne Light and U.S. Department of Energy introduce technology to enhance electrical grid

On Wednesday, an announcement was made that could change the way the Pittsburgh region addresses energy. 

Duquesne Light and the Department of Energy introduced new technology to enhance the energy grid in western Pennsylvania, and those involved said it will address some of the issues with how we use power and how it can be made more efficient. 

"We're focused on affordability, reliability, and stability," said Katie Jereza of the U.S. Department of Energy. 

The new technology is part of the "Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships" program, also known as "GRIP." 

"This gives us a better sense of what is actually happening on our grid in close to real time," said Josh Gould, the director of advanced grid solutions and strategic planning with Duquesne Light. "It gives us better intelligence and a better ability to respond when there's trouble or issues." 

While they admit that some issues, like severe weather, can happen at any time, they now have better ways to understand what problems are occurring and improve response times. 

"Now, because we have this visibility, we know almost instantaneously - we call it real-time - that here's the issue, in this particular area, and they can go right to it and repair it as quickly as possible," Jereza said. 

The equipment is known as a "Smart Meter." It's an upgrade that sends energy usage information directly to utility companies. 

"Better connection to a specific transformer, a more granular level of data, and a lot of what that helps us do, again, when there's trouble, it helps us respond in a more targeted fashion," Gould explained. 

There's also the emergence of data centers, and how they can affect the cost of energy or efficiency in the areas where they are located. Those in attendance today said they're preparing for that challenge. 

"We're reshoring, we're in the AI race, but at the same time, we want to make sure that we keep the electricity prices stable so that everyone in the community can afford it," Jereza said. 

In 2023, Duquesne Light received a $19.7 million grant from the Department of Energy to help modernize the grid in Allegheny and Beaver counties.